Beverage fountain

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is an improved beverage fountain including a hollow pedestal, a bowl supported on the pedestal and an elevated receptacle supported above the bowl for discharging a beverage into the bowl. A motor-pump combination is mounted within the hollow pedestal, and the pump is connected to receive liquid from the bowl for pumping it into the elevated receptacle. A vertically disposed sleeve extends upwardly from the bowl for supporting the receptacle at its upper end, and the sleeve has a plurality of openings in its lower portion for allowing the flow of liquid from the bowl into the sleeve. A coolant cartridge or jar is mounted within the sleeve for cooling the liquid therewithin, whereby the resultant beverage fountain recycles the cooled beverage from the bowl to the elevated receptacle in a sanitary manner, wherein the beverage comes in contact only with the internal portions of the pump, the coolant cartridge, and the beverage receiving bowl and elevated receptacle.

United States Patent 151 3,691,787 Kaufmann [4 1 Sept. 19, 1972 [54]BEVERAGE FOUNTAIN Primary Examiner-William J. Wye f [72] Inventor i zf mfig gg f 2,3 Ocean Attorney-Robert E. Burns and Emmanuel .l. Lobato [22]Filed: Dec. 30, 1970 [57] ABSTRACT Appl. No.: 102,708

Disclosed herein is an improved beverage fountain including a hollowpedestal, a bowl supported on the pedestal and an elevated receptaclesupported above [52] Us. 6 20 3 1 2 27 he bowl for discharging abeverage into the bowl. A [51] Int Cl B67d 5/62 motor-pump combinationis mounted within the hol- [58] Field of Search ..62/3l0 389 392 400-239/17 P P and the Pump receive 7 99/38 liquid from the bowl for pumpingit into the elevated receptacle. A vertically disposed sleeve extendsupwardly from the bowl for supporting the receptacle at [56] Referencesand its upper end, and the sleeve has a plurality of UNITED STATESPATENTS opennfgs in it; lctzwerl P011123 for allowilig thel flow of lquitom 1: e ow Into e s eeve. coo ant car- 54,494 5/1966 Bonham ..239/22tridge or jar is mounted within the Sleeve for cooling 1,020,569 3/1922Needham ..239/23 the liquid therewithin whereby the resultant beverage1,628,853 5/1927 Lornax ..222/146 fountain recycles the cooled beveragefrom the bowl 1,654,841 1/1928 Smith ..222/113 to the elevatedreceptacle in a Sanitary manner, 2,123,892 7/1938 Grady ..239/23 h i thebeverage comes i Contact y with the 2,860,916 11/1958 Hynkon ..239/23internal portions of the pump the coolant cartridge,

and the beverage receiving bowl and elevated receptam1 1 3,071,3261/1963 Benak ..239/20 C e 2,490,694 1] 1970 Ashby ..239/18 8 Claims, 3Drawing Figures i6 it: 1 Z /7 i4 5! A? 4r 60 7 66 5i v 54 24' 76 a N A45 26 /Z ''r 2:: :Z' I! I I" I Z L j 113, [If lZZQ: :1"

i2 3 nn 3 4X o o o PATENTEUSEP 19 I912 3.691, 787

Illlll I'I'l IIIIIIIIIIIIP' 567 BEVERAGE FOUNTAIN BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION Various types of beverage fountains are known in the art, buta common problem has been recognized with respect to such fountains inthat their construction gives rise to a potential health hazard. Thishazard may be caused, for example, by elements such as a motor or pumphaving external surfaces which come in contact with the beverage, whichelements are often difficult to clean before and after the use of thebeverage fountain.

Certain problems have also been recognized in the cooling of thebeverage while it is being recycled within the fountain, as for examplethe dilution of the beverage caused by ice deposited therein, or theunsightliness of other cooling means which may be deposited in open viewin the bowl of the device. Furthermore, when the motor is disposed sothat the beverage contacts the outer surfaces of the motor, heatgenerated by the operation of the motor acts in opposition to thecooling medium thereby decreasing the efficiency of the fountain.

A principle object of this invention is to provide a beverage fountainassembly which overcomes these various drawbacks, while providing anesthetically attractive device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the invention, there isprovided a beverage fountain assembly having a hollow base or pedestalfor housing a motor-pump combination, a bowl supported on the pedestal,a cylindrical enclosure extending vertically upward from the bottom ofthe bowl and surrounding an opening in the bowl which communicates withan intake port of the pump, and an elevated fountainhead in the form ofa beverage receptacle having a conduit coupled to an outlet port of thepump for carrying the beverage, received into the pump from the bowl,upwardly into the receptacle. The elevated receptacle has openingstherein which permit the liquid to fall back into the bowl so that it iscontinuously recycled by the pump. A cooling cartridge, comprising acontainer of frozen liquid, is supported within the enclosure, and thebottom of the enclosure has a plurality of openings therein permittingthe liquid from the bowl to enter the enclosure where it is cooled bythe cartridge. Thus, this preferred embodiment of the invention providesstructure which is both esthetically desirable and functionallyadvantageous, and which provides a highly sanitary device in that thebeverage does not come in contact with the outer surfaces of themotor-pump combination, whereby the beverage is not subjected to theheat generated within the motor, and wherein the cooling means is hiddenwithin the enclosure extending upwardly from the bowl, said coolingmeans being easy to clean.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The accompanying drawing illustrates apreferred embodiment of the invention. In such drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a beverage fountain embodying theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of DETAILEDDESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A beverage fountain 10 embodyingthe invention, as shown in the drawing, includes a container or bowl 12supported on a hollow pedestal 14, a sleeve 16 mounted in the bottom ofthe bowl l2 and extending upwardly therefrom, the upper end of thesleeve defining a shoulder 17, an intermediate receptacle l8 sup portedon the shoulder 17 of the sleeve 16, and an upper beverage receptacle 20supported on the intermediate receptacle 18. The pedestal 14 has anupper surface 22 which conforms in shape to a portion 24 of the lowersurface of the bowl 12 to provide a strong support for the bowl. Thebowl and pedestal are fastened together by nut and bolt combinations 26,which pass through their engaging surfaces 24 and 22 and are sealed bywashers 27, and which also serve to mount a vertical frame 28 to thebottom of the bowl and within the sleeve 16, said frame comprising aplurality of metal strips having their upper ends joined together, andhaving horizontally directed tabs 29 at their lower ends for receivingthe nut and bolt combinations 26. A horizontally disposed support frame30 is mounted to the lower ends of the upwardly extending strips of theframe 28 for supporting a coolant cartridge or jar 32 which rests on thesupport frame 30 between the upwardly extending strips of the frame 28and within the sleeve 16. The jar has a removable cover as shown.

A plurality of openings 34 are provided in the lower end of the sleeve16 for allowing the flow of beverage 36 from the bowl into the sleeve16. Thus, the beverage within the sleeve seeks the same level as thebeverage within the bowl, and comes into contact with the coolant jar orcartridge 32 which maintains the beverage at the desired temperature.The cartridge 32 comprises a covered container or jar for holding aquantity of ice or other cooling medium and is removable from thefountain for being cleaned or recharged. Preferably, the jar is made ofan FDA approved material for reuse with foodstuffs, and comprises aneasily cleaned polyethylene plastic.

A motor-pump combination including an electric motor 37 and a pump 38are housed within the hollow pedestal 14 for pumping liquid from thebowl to the upper receptacle 20, and the pedestal has a plurality ofopenings 39 in its lower portion for allowing air to circulate withinthe pedestal to dissipate heat generated by the motor. The pump 38 hasan intake port having an externally threaded conduit 40 which passesthrough aligned openings in the upper portion 22 of the pedestal l4 andthe lower portion 24 of the bowl 12. A pair of nuts 42 are threadablyreceived on the conduit 40, said nuts being tightened against a pair ofwashers 44, so that the conduit 40 is sealably fastened to the bowl andpedestal for allowing a flow of cooled beverage from the bowl into thepump 38. Thus, the pump 38 is suspended by the conduit 40, and the motor37 is, in turn, suspended by the pump. The pump 38 is provided with anoutlet port 46 connected to a rigid conduit 48 which passes through asealed opening in the pedestal and bowl portions 22 and 24, said openingbeing sealed by nuts 47 and washers 49, and said conduit 48 extendingupwardly through the sleeve 16 alongside the cooling cartridge 32. Aflexible conduit 50 is connected between rigid conduit 48 and a couplingconduit 52 which is fixed to the upper end of the frame 28. The upperend of the coupling conduit 52 is provided with external threads forthreadably receiving a nut 54 which is sealably fixed to an opening inthe lower portion of the upper receptacle 20, so that the beveragereceived into the pump through the conduit 40 is pumped upwardly intothe upper receptacle 20.

The upper receptacle is provided with a plurality of openings 56,thereby functioning as a fountainhead discharging the beveragedownwardly into the intermediate receptacle 18. Similarly, theintermediate receptacle 18 has a plurality of openings 58 havingconduits 60 connected thereto for discharging the beverage back into thebowl. Thus, when the motor 37 is energized to drive the pump, the cooledbeverage surrounding the cartridge 32 is continuously recycled throughthe fountain and the beverage can be withdrawn by merely holding a cupunder one of the discharge conduits 60.

The intermediate receptacle 18 is provided with a downwardly projectingperipheral flange 66 through which the conduits 60 extend fordischarging the beverage, and within which is mounted a plurality oflight bulbs 68 for illuminating the fountain and indirectly lighting thebowl portion thereof. The electrical wiring 70 for the light bulbs 68passes through an opening 72 in the sleeve 16, said opening being hiddenfrom view by the flange 66. An electrical plug and receptacle assembly74 is provided in the upper portion of the sleeve 16, and the electricalwiring from the receptacle is coupled downwardly through a liquidimpervious conduit 76 which is sealed at 78 to an opening in theportions 22 and 24 of the pedestal and bowl. The electrical wiring iscoupled from the conduit downwardly through the pedestal 14 to a switch80 which is actuable externally of the pedestal 14 for turning thelights ON or OFF.

In order to disassemble the fountain for cleaning purposes, or forrecharging the cartridge 32, it is necessary merelyto unscrew the upperreceptacle 20 from its threadable connection to the conduit 52,whereupon the intermediate receptacle 18 can be lifted off the shoulder17 of the sleeve 16, and whereupon the sleeve 16 can be raised away fromthe frame 28, thereby exposing the cartridge 32 for replacement. Asshown in FIG. 2, when the fountain is assembled, the lower end of thesleeve 16 merely rests in the bottom of the bowl 12, and is providedwith an internally indented portion 82 for cooperation with studs 84,which project from the frame 28. Then, at the upper end of the fountain,the upper receptacle 20, when threadably received on the conduit 52,exerts a downward force on the intermediate receptacle 18, which inturn, exerts a downward force on the shoulder 17 of the sleeve 16,thereby holding it securely in place.

Thus, it can be seen that the combination described herein provides abeverage fountain having highly desireable aesthetic qualities, andproviding a structure wherein all of the component parts which come intocontact with the beverage can be easily cleaned, thereby providing asanitary structure. For example, the external surfaces of the pump andmotor are removed from contact with the beverage, and a highly efficientcooling means is provided by the sealed coolant cartridge 32 which canbe easily replaced or removed from the fountain for cleaning.

What I claim is:

1. In a beverage fountain assembly including a hollow base, a containersupported on said base, and a fountainhead supported above saidcontainer for discharging a liquid into the container, the improvementcomprising: a motor-pump combination mounted within said hollow base andexternally of said container, said pump having an inlet port and anoutlet port; means providing communication between said inlet port andthe interior of said container for supplying said pump with a liquiddisposed within said container; conduit means connected between saidoutlet port and fountainhead for carrying liquid from said pump to saidfountainhead; an upstanding tubular sleeve having a lower portiondisposed within the interior of said container, said sleeve extendingupwardly out of said container and having a plurality of openings insaid lower portion thereof for allowing a flow of liquid from said bowlinto said sleeve; and said lower portion of said tubular sleeve definingenclosure means for removably receiving therein a jar containing acooling medium for cooling the liquid in said sleeve, a jar having aremovable cover for containing a cooling medium and removably disposedin said lower portion of said sleeve, said means providing communicationbetween said inlet port and container being disposed in position forsaid pump to take suction from a volume of cooled liquid contained insaid lower portion of said sleeve and cooled by the cooling medium.

2. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 1, further comprising anintermediate beverage receptacle supported on an upper portion of saidsleeve, and in which said fountainhead comprises an upper receptacle forreceiving liquid from said conduit means, said upper and intermediatereceptacles having openings therein disposed to discharge liquiddownward into said intermediate receptacle and said container,respectively.

3. In a beverage fountain assembly including a hollow pedestal, a bowlsupported on said pedestal, an elevated receptacle, and means supportingsaid receptacle above the bowl for discharging a liquid into the bowl,the improvement comprising: a motor-pump combination mounted within saidhollow pedestal, said pump having an inlet port and an outlet port;means connecting said inlet port to said bowl for supplying said pumpwith a liquid disposed within said bowl; conduit means connected betweensaid outlet port and said elevated receptacle for carrying liquid fromsaid pump to said elevated receptacle; said means supporting saidelevated receptacle comprising a vertically disposed tubular sleevehaving a lower portion received within said bowl and in contact with alower portion of said bowl, said sleeve having a plurality of openingsin its lower portion for allowing a flow of liquid from said bowl intosaid sleeve; and cooling means comprising a jar with a removable coverfor containing a cooling medium removably mounted within said lowerportion of said tubular sleeve for cooling the liquid therewithin.

4. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 3, in which said jar forcontaining a cooling medium comprises an easily cleanable plasticmaterial.

5. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 3, further comprising anintermediate receptacle, and means supporting said intermediatereceptacle between said bowl and upper receptacle, said upper andintermediate receptacles having openings therein disposed to dischargeliquid downward into said intermediate receptacle and said container,respectively.

6. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 5, in which saidintermediate receptacle has a depending peripheral flange and furthercomprising a plurality of lights disposed within said peripheral flangefor illuminating said fountain. I

7. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 5, in which saidintermediate receptacle has a depending peripheral flange, and saidintermediate receptacle openings are disposed above the lowermostportion of said flange, and further comprising a plurality of conduitsconnected to said intermediate receptacles at said openings therein,said plurality of conduits extending through said flange at an elevationbelow said intermediate receptacle openings for discharging liquid fromsaid bowl.

8. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 5, in which said means forsupporting said intermediate receptacle comprises a shoulder defined byan upper portion of said sleeve, and further comprising frame meansextending upwardly within said sleeve and fixedly mounted to said bowl,horizontal support means fixed to said frame for supporting said jar,said intermediate receptacle defining a central opening for receivingsaid conduit means therethrough, said conduit means being fixed to saidframe means at an upper end thereof, and threaded means on said conduitmeans and upper receptacle for cooperation to cause said upperreceptacle to bear against said intermediate receptacle, therebypressing said intermediate receptacle against said sleeve shoulder, andpressing said sleeve against said bowl. 7

1. In a beverage fountain assembly including a hollow base, a containersupported on said base, and a fountainhead supported above saidcontainer for discharging a liquid into the container, the improvementcomprising: a motor-pump combination mounted within said hollow base andexternally of said container, said pump having an inlet port and anoutlet port; means providing communication between said inlet port andthE interior of said container for supplying said pump with a liquiddisposed within said container; conduit means connected between saidoutlet port and fountainhead for carrying liquid from said pump to saidfountainhead; an upstanding tubular sleeve having a lower portiondisposed within the interior of said container, said sleeve extendingupwardly out of said container and having a plurality of openings insaid lower portion thereof for allowing a flow of liquid from said bowlinto said sleeve; and said lower portion of said tubular sleeve definingenclosure means for removably receiving therein a jar containing acooling medium for cooling the liquid in said sleeve, a jar having aremovable cover for containing a cooling medium and removably disposedin said lower portion of said sleeve, said means providing communicationbetween said inlet port and container being disposed in position forsaid pump to take suction from a volume of cooled liquid contained insaid lower portion of said sleeve and cooled by the cooling medium.
 2. Abeverage fountain as set forth in claim 1, further comprising anintermediate beverage receptacle supported on an upper portion of saidsleeve, and in which said fountainhead comprises an upper receptacle forreceiving liquid from said conduit means, said upper and intermediatereceptacles having openings therein disposed to discharge liquiddownward into said intermediate receptacle and said container,respectively.
 3. In a beverage fountain assembly including a hollowpedestal, a bowl supported on said pedestal, an elevated receptacle, andmeans supporting said receptacle above the bowl for discharging a liquidinto the bowl, the improvement comprising: a motor-pump combinationmounted within said hollow pedestal, said pump having an inlet port andan outlet port; means connecting said inlet port to said bowl forsupplying said pump with a liquid disposed within said bowl; conduitmeans connected between said outlet port and said elevated receptaclefor carrying liquid from said pump to said elevated receptacle; saidmeans supporting said elevated receptacle comprising a verticallydisposed tubular sleeve having a lower portion received within said bowland in contact with a lower portion of said bowl, said sleeve having aplurality of openings in its lower portion for allowing a flow of liquidfrom said bowl into said sleeve; and cooling means comprising a jar witha removable cover for containing a cooling medium removably mountedwithin said lower portion of said tubular sleeve for cooling the liquidtherewithin.
 4. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 3, in whichsaid jar for containing a cooling medium comprises an easily cleanableplastic material.
 5. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 3,further comprising an intermediate receptacle, and means supporting saidintermediate receptacle between said bowl and upper receptacle, saidupper and intermediate receptacles having openings therein disposed todischarge liquid downward into said intermediate receptacle and saidcontainer, respectively.
 6. A beverage fountain as set forth in claim 5,in which said intermediate receptacle has a depending peripheral flangeand further comprising a plurality of lights disposed within saidperipheral flange for illuminating said fountain.
 7. A beverage fountainas set forth in claim 5, in which said intermediate receptacle has adepending peripheral flange, and said intermediate receptacle openingsare disposed above the lowermost portion of said flange, and furthercomprising a plurality of conduits connected to said intermediatereceptacles at said openings therein, said plurality of conduitsextending through said flange at an elevation below said intermediatereceptacle openings for discharging liquid from said bowl.
 8. A beveragefountain as set forth in claim 5, in which said means for supportingsaid intermediate receptacle comprises a shoulder defined by an upperportion of said sleeve, and further comprising frame means extendingupwardly within said sleeve and fixedly mounted to said bowl, horizontalsupport means fixed to said frame for supporting said jar, saidintermediate receptacle defining a central opening for receiving saidconduit means therethrough, said conduit means being fixed to said framemeans at an upper end thereof, and threaded means on said conduit meansand upper receptacle for cooperation to cause said upper receptacle tobear against said intermediate receptacle, thereby pressing saidintermediate receptacle against said sleeve shoulder, and pressing saidsleeve against said bowl.